1.Child athletes. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Print. Playing Sports Benefits Children
"When young people participate in sports, they have an opportunity to learn self-discipline, consideration of others, and how to handle disappointments. The stress relief and physical fitness that result from playing sports help combat childhood depression and obesity."
"Sports offer kids an arena where they can earn attention and respect by exerting their natural abilities."
"Kids are good at sports because sports are essentially about speed, strength, coordination, vision, creativity, and responsiveness-- the necessary physical attributes are the attributes of youth."
"Kids who participate in organized sports do better in school, have better interpersonal skills, are more team orineted and are generally healthier."
"Sports provides opportunities for leadership and socialization as well as the development of skills for handling success and failure."
"Kids who play sports develop general physical fitness in a way that's fun, and they establish lifelong habits for good health."
"Sports allow kids to clear their minds of academic and social pressures, to literally run off the tension that's accumlated in their muscles."
"Sports give kids a satisfying, enjoyable way to develop their own talents: through personal effort they get good at something they're interested in. Doing something well makes them feel good about themselves, but equally important, it teaches them about the process of how to improce and work more effectively."
"Sports help kids learn to distinguish between effort and ability. Sports increase self-discipline and the awareness of the value of preparation because kids can see the difference in their performance."
"Competitive athletes learn the importance of effort, being prepared (mentally and physically), and enlightened risktaking."
"Young athletes learn to handle adversity, whether it's picking themselves up after losing a big game or not getting as many minutes as they wanted."
"Athletes learn the fundamental lesson of sacrificing immediate gratification for long-term gain."
"Athletes learn that you don't have to like someone in order to work together toward a common goal. They also discover that you can work for people you don't respect and still be productive, improve your skills, and have fun. A team is a natural enviornment in which to learn responsibility to others you can't stay out carousing the night before a game."
"Organized sports sponsored by clubs or youth leagues not affiliated with schools offer players an opportunity to meet a variety of kids from different backgrounds."
"To be successful, you need individual and team goals. Sports prepare children for getting out into society."
"Now, kids who play sports are highly organized on teams and in leagues."
"Kids are coached, trained, conditioned, and judged. Most youth sports occur on teams or in leagues--there aare fewer and fewer pickup games."
"Now there are school teams that end but recreational leagues, after-school leagues, intramural sports, weekend leagues, summer leagues, sport camps, and year-round tracel teams that go on and on."
"Kids of all skill levels can participate and that's good news for everybody"
"Kids can also participate now at younger ages."
"Kids of all ages, everywhere, have the opportunity to play more kinds of sports than ever before."
"A record forty millionn kids are playing sports, too many of them are unhappy. 30% of them are quitting, dropping out, and throwing in the towel by the time they're 13."
"Kids today feel too much pressure to win"
"Highly organized and specialized youth sports enviornment, more and more sports-playing kids feel that just giving their best during a game or competition is not good enough."
"When winning is everything, the competitive enviornment can become a stressful and negative place for youngsters. When winning is everything, sports no longer fun."
"Our early sports experience leaves its mark upon us, Athletics is one of the arenas in which, as children, we devvelop our identites. Self-esteem and self-confidence issues are frequently raised."
"If your child drops out of sports, he won't reap the many benefits that sports has to offer-- like goal setting, perseverence, teamwork and fitness.
"Some parents believe the secret is finding the right coach. Others say it's all in how she gets along with her teammates. Still others believe the secret is to match him with the sport that best fits his personality and temperament."
"Outside influences do contribute to shaping your child. Parents always have had, and always will have, the most significant influence over their kids."
"If you are knowledgeable and aware of what your child is experiencing emotionally and physically in sports, you will be better able to give your child what he or she needs in order to have a good experience."
"All of the pressure may end up sending young athletes not into a stadium of cheering fans, but onto the psychiatrists couch for feeling like a failure based on one thing: sports."
Most well-known statement- "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing"
Vince Lombardi said "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."
"If kids think winning is the only thing that matters they will put too much pressure on themselves and feel like failures when they lose"
"Young people should play sports because they enjoy the game; winning is a bonus"
"Loving the game-- whether it be the game of life or sports -- is everything, and child athletes need to keep that in mind when they play"
Playing Sports Benefits Children